Device for cleaning and mixing paint and the like



April 29, 1941. J, HRODER 2,229,741

DEVICE FOR CLEANING AND MIXING PAINT AND THE LIKE Filed Sept. 5, 1939 Mich- Patented Apr. 29, 1941 DEVICE FOR CLEANING ANDMIXING PAINT AND THE LIKE John E. Schroder, Worcester, Mass, assignor of one-half to Wesley E. Mellquist, Worcester,

Mass. I

Application September 5, 1939, Serial No. 293,447

3 Claims. (01:74-74) This invention relates to an apparatus for cleaning paint brushes or analogous articles and for mixing materials of various kinds.

Objects of the invention include the provision of means whereby a used brush or other article may be completely freed or cleansed of paint or other material desired to be removed, in the space of a few seconds, or whereby various paints or other materials may be quickly and easily mixed; the provision of acontainer for holding the paints to be mixed or the paint removing liquid, and a brush or paddle holder associated therewith, together with means to rotate a brush or paddle in one direction and means to suddenly and forcefully reverse said notation to effect a rapid oscillation of the parts, this action being continued as long as desired or necessary; and the provision of means whereby the brush or paddle may be oscillated in the absence of the material in the container without removing said material from the container.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear hereinafter.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a top plan View of the device;

Fig. 2 is "a side elevation of the device with pants broken away;

Fig. 3 is a view in section of the device showing the brush actuating mechanism in its raised position in broken lines;

Fig. 4 is a section ion line 4--4 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a detail view of the spring and its housing looking in the direction of arrow 5 in Fig. 3; and

Fig. 6 is a detail view of the face of the mutilated gear.

In the drawing, there is shown a cylindrical container I0, open at the top, and adapted to receive-the paint removing liquid or materials to be mixed, as at I2. The container I0 is provided with a flange l4 to seat and position a plate I6, which acts as a top closure for the container. The plate I6 is provided with a flange I8 which closely fits the inside walls of the container; and a cylindrical shield 20 of light metal or other material is dependently secured to the flange I8 so as to extend down into the container ID, as is clearly shown in Fig. 3.

Adjacent its center, the plate I6 is provided with a bored boss 22 receiving and journaling a vertical shaft 24 having a bevel gear 26 pinned at its upper end and a generally cylindrical member 28 pinned at its lower end. The member 28 is shaped to receive the handle of a brush or paddle 30 at its lower end, the brush or paddle extending into the liquid I2, and being held in place by thumb screws 32.

The bevel gear 26 rests on a plate 34 which is bolted or otherwise secured to the plate I6. Plate 34 supports and is bolted to a housing 36 which contains a long flat spring 38, wound around the gear 26 and pinned thereto at one'end and at its other end to the housing 36. The

spring. 38 obviously continuously urges shaft 24 in a clockwise direction as seen in Fig. 5, this spring being under tension even when idle.

'Ijhe plate 34 also mounts a boss 40 having a shaft 42 journaled, therein, said shaft having a crank-handle 44 fixed to one end and'a mutilated bevel gear 46 fixed to its other end and meshing with gear 26 at its tooth portion 48. A housing 50 covers gears 26' and 46. Of course, a motor could be substituted for the handle 44.

As seen in Fig. 4, the cylinder 28 is provided with a radially extending lug 52, and the underside of plate l6 has a screw-threaded lug 54 secured thereto with a screw 56 extending therethrough. The screw 56 may be adjusted longitudinally and locked by nut 58.

A plurality of rods 60 are secured in any convenient manner, as by bolts 62, adjacent the edge of the plate I6. These rods extend longitudinally of the container III for a considerable distance, as shown in Fig. 2. Upon raising plate I6 and the parts carried thereby, including the shield 20, the rods 60 may be alined with sockets 64 and set therein, whereby the plate I6 and its associated parts are supported above the container I0, and the brush or paddle 30 is raised'clear of the liquid I2.

In the operation of the device, the top plate I6 and its connected parts are removed from the container I0 and a desired amount of paint removing liquid, turpentine, or materials to be mixed, is placed therein. The brush or paddle 301s secured to the member 28 by the screws 32 and the plate I6 is placed on the top of container ID in position as shown in Fig. 3. The crankhandle 44 is turned so as to actuate gear 26 through the mutilated gear 46, thus turning the member 28 against the tension of spring 38.

When the toothless portion :of gear 46 is reached, in the rotation of said gear, the spring 38 is free to act, and reverses the direction of rotation of the member 28. Due tothe large number of turns of spring 38, the member 23 may be placed under tension at all times, so that the increase of tension caused bythe turning of the gears is large enough to reverse the rotation of the brush or paddle with great force, and the holder 28 flies back with great speed, thus completely p ermeating th brush with the liquid [2, or if a paddle is used, the result will be to violently agitate the materials in the container.

The screw 56 provides an abutment and rest for the lug 52 on the member 28, and when the device is idle, the spring will keep the lug and screw in engagement, and it is clear that the gear 26 will always return to its original position. In

-case the teeth 48 of gear 46 do not mesh easily with the teeth of gear 26, a slight adjustment of screw 56 will shift the idle position of gear 26 enough to bring about the desired location for.

easy meshing.

After sufficient oscillation of the brush or pad dle 30 to accomplish the purpose desired, the plate IB and its associated parts, includingthe shield 20 and the brush or paddle holder 28, are raised up to broken line position, as shown in Fig. 3, and the ends of the rods 60 are set in sockets 64. In this position the brush or paddle 30 is clear of the material l2, and the handle 44 may be actuated again to dry the brush or paddle in the air by centrifugal force. The shield 20, overlapping the edge of the container I0, prevents splashing of the liquid so that all the liquid or other material is retained in the container.

It will be seen from the foregoing that this invention provides a device for the easy and extremely rapid cleaning of paint brushes or analogous articles, and for easy and convenient mixing of materials.

Having thus described my invention and the advantages thereof, I do not wish to be limited to the details herein disclosed, otherwise than as set forth in the claims, but what I claim is:

1. In a device of the class described, a plate, a shaft journaled in said plate and having a gear fixed thereto at one end and an element fixed thereto at its other end, an interrupted gear in intermittent mesh with said first gear, means to rotate said interrupted gear, a long resilient member fixed to said first gear and to a fixed point and wound a plurality of times about said shaft, a lug on said element, and an adjustable abutment in the path of said lug, whereby the idle position of said first gear may be adjusted.

2. In a device of the class described, a fiat plate-like support, a shaft journaled on said support, a second shaft journaled on said support and extending therethru, an element attached to the extending end of said second shaft, gearing including a mutilated gear between said shafts, a fiat spring wound upon itself and about said second shaft and having one end secured to said shaft and the other end secured to said support, a radial projection on said element, and an abutment on said support in the path of said projection.

3. In a device of the class described, a generally plate-like support, a shaft journaled thereon, a mutilated bevel gear attached to the other end of said shaft, a second shaft extending thru said support and mounting an element, a bevel gear on said second shaft adapted to mesh intermittently with said mutilated gear, resilient means to operate said second shaft in a direction reverse to that of said gears, said spring comprising a flat strip of spring metal secured at one end to said shaft and at the other end to said support, and wound a plurality of times about said second shaft, and adjustable stop means for the reverse operation of said second shaft.

JOHN E, SCHRODER. 

